Pinellas County reports 4th Vibrio vulnificus case of 2014

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) has reported an additional case of Vibriosis caused by the bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus in Pinellas County in the west-central part of the state. This is the fourth V. vulnificus case reported from Pinellas County this year.

Florida map/National Atlas of the United States

This brings the state total to 32 cases and the death toll remains at seven.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium in the same family as those that cause cholera and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. It normally lives in warm seawater and is part of a group of vibrios that are called “halophilic” because they require salt.

V. vulnificus can cause disease in those who eat contaminated seafood or have an open wound that is exposed to seawater. Among healthy people, ingestion of V. vulnificus can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. In immunocompromised persons, particularly those with chronic liver disease, V. vulnificus can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased blood pressure (septic shock), and blistering skin lesions. V. vulnificus bloodstream infections are fatal about 50% of the time.

V. vulnificus can cause an infection of the skin when open wounds are exposed to warm seawater; these infections may lead to skin breakdown and ulceration. Persons who are immunocompromised are at higher risk for invasion of the organism into the bloodstream and potentially fatal complications.